Trace-detacher



(N0 Model;) I. & M. E. VANDERBEOK.

TRAGE DETAGHBR.

Patented Nov. 12, 1895.

Ze07a UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ISADORE VANDERBECK AND MARTILE E. VANDERBEOK, OF I-IUNTSVILLE, MISSOURI.

TRACE-DETACHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 549,551, dated November 12, 1895.

Application filed August 26, 1 8 9 5.

T0 all wh0m it may concern:

Be it known that we, ISADORE VANDERBECK and MARTILE E.VANDERBECK, citizens of the United States,r6siding at Huntsville, in the oounty of Randolph and State of Missouri, have inventecl oertain new ancl useful Im-' provements in Trace-D0tachers; and we do hereby cleclare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, referenee being had to the annexecl drawings, makinga part 0f this spe'oifieation, ancl to the letters of reference marked thereon. y

The present inventi0n has for its object t0 provicle a simple and effeotive cleviee for quiekly releasing the traces fro1n the singletree and thereby detaehing the horse fro1n the vehiole, and thus to prevent personal in j ury and loss of life from runaway horses.

The invention oonsists of a clevioe for cle- Laching the traces from the singletree, oonstructecl substantially as shown in the drawings, anal hereinafter clescribed ancl olaimed.

Figure 1 of the clrawings represerits a perspeotive view 0f a portion of the shafts of a vehiole, the-oross-bar thei*eof, thesingletree conneetecl= thereto, my improvezcl detaohing, device oonnectecl to the singletree, and the traoes engagecl with the ends of said singletree; Fig. 2, a cletail view of one end 0f the singletree, 0n an enlargecl scale, showing the trace-releasing meohanism partly in section and in operative position in cl0tted lines, the trace being shown in engagement with the encl of the singletree in full seotional lines ancl in a released position in broken seotional lines Fig. 3, a transverse sectional view taken on line 0c 00 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4, acletail perspective view of the trace-releasing cleviee 011 anonlarged soa1e. Fig'. 5 is a perspective view of the seotional easing for oontaining the ooilecl spring also, one encl of the shaft projeoting therefrom, to Whi0h the spring is attaohecl; Fig. 6, a horizontal seetion through the braoket ancl groovkad pulley, showing the position of the cords, eha1'ns, or other 'connections to the pulley. A

In the acoon1panying drawings, A represents a portion of the. shafts of a vehiole which are oonneeted loy the oross-bar B, ancl to saicl bar, in the u'sual manner,is eonneetecl the singletree O, all of Whioh parts may be of the Serial N0. 560,483. (N0 model.)

ordinary oonstruotion. T0 the singletree is attaohed the meehanism for releasingthe ends of the traoes D fro1n the usual studs a upon the extremities of the singletree. T0 the encls of the sing'letree immediately in the rear of the studs a are secured the hoods E, Whieh oontain the oasings for holding the flatcoiled springs F. This oasing is formed of the two seotions G H, open at one end and fitting each other, as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings, thus allowing them to be separated for removing or inserting the spring and forming a 00mplete shield for the spring and proteeting it from the dirt and grit. The spring F is attaohed ab one encl to the easing-section G and at the other end to a short shaft I, whioh shaft extends through the ends of the oasingsections G H ancl through openings in the sides of the hood E. The projecting encls b of the shaft I are flat sided and engage with eorrespondingly-formed openings c in compling-plates K, as shown more clearly in Fig. 4 of the drawings. These plates K oouple the ends of the shaft I to the ourved leverarms L and hold the ends b of the shaft in engagement with the notohed seats d npon the upper eclge of said arms. The oouplingplates K are securecl t0 the sicles of the leverar1ns L by 1neans of short screws e, engaging vvith sorew-threaded holes f in said arms, the openings c in the plates registering With the seats d when the plates are in position.

The shaft I, with its flat-sided ends b, the ooupling-plates K, with the correspondinglyformecl openings c, and the seats (l on the upper eclge of the lever-arms L, form together a pivotal oonneotion between the hoocl E ancl le'ver-arms, whereby the spring Will operate to bring the ar1ns back to their normal position afterthe trace has been 1*el0asecl, also to hold the encl of the traoe in engagement Wit-h the stucl b upon the encl of the singletree.

The lever-arms L are connected by means of a yoke M, and upon the under sicle of the yoke projects a coupling-pin N, and when in position shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings the Coupling-pin Will engage a seat g upon th e extremity of the stucl a ancl Will hold the t1"ace D in engagement With said stucl. This ooupling pin projects up through the yoke M and is hookecl or ourved to forma an eye h, that por- IOO tin 0f the wire forming the eye being rigidly seeured to the yoke.

The connections O P, whieh 1nay be wires, cords, chains, 01 other flexible conneetion, are attached in any suitable manner t0 the eyes h 01 the coupling-pins N, whieh connections form the means f01 operating the 1ever-arms L when it is found necessary t0 re1ease the traces f10111 the ends of the singletree. These connections 0 P, after being properly attached t0 the eyes 01 couphng-pins, extend along 0ve1 the singletree and pass around a grooved pu1ley R, which pulley is pivotally conneeted With a snitable braeket T, said bracket being attached t0 the singletree in any suitztble 111d wellknown manner, but prefembly conneeted by the szune holt (hat connects the singletree to the cross-bar B 0f the shafts, said holt; being shown au i, Figs. 1 :md 6 0f the dmwings.

The connecions O P extend through open in gs k in the hracket T, and join ea-ch other, 21s shown. at U, and are 0f suflicien length so extend up within conw3nient mach of the erson in the vehicle, and may be provided wih a fing l 01 0ther suitable an d well-known means f01 grasping it with the hand.

Any suit-able means may be employed f01 0pemt-ing the lever-ar1ns L, as found best adapted to ehe purpose, as I do not wish t0 be uuderstood as confining myself t0 the means herein deseribed, and m:u1y changes 01' modifications nmy be 1nade in the details 0f construction without departing from the princip1e of the in"ention, and :my such chzmges as wou1d come within ordinary mechanical skil1 may be resorted to, as circumstanees may 1equire.

In ehe operation 0f the traee -detaching mechanis1n, when 113 is deshed t0 innnediately disconneet the horse f10111 the vehicle in case 0f a runaway, the connections 0 P are pulled up0n by the person in the vehie1e, whieh Will e1evate the yokes M, and with them the compling-pins N, thereby removing the pins from the ends 0f the studs a. 'lhe elevat-ion of the yokes M will cause the ]evermms L tobe depressed, and the curved 01 eam edges m there- 0f t0 be brought against uhe traces D, a11d by the continued motion 0f the lever-arms the ends of the traces will be foreed outwzu-d an 1 01T ehe studs a, the lever-arms an(l their 0011- neetions assuming the osition shown in dotted lines. After the connections O P hme been 1*eleased by the person in the vehicle, the springs F will force t-he lever-arms und their conneetion back 150 their normal osition.

Any suitable and wellknown harness C011- nections between the horse and shafts nmy be used that will ad1nitthe horse disconnecting itself from the shafts when the armes hzwe been detaehed from the singleuree.

Having 110W fu1ly deseribed 0111 invention, whau we c1aim 21s new, zmd desire 110 secure by Letters Patent, is'- A trace-detaching device, consisting 01; 1cver-armslmving curved orcmn edges, a coiled spring, a shafu conneeting therewith and operating said spring, and means f01 couphng ehe ends 0f the shafts to the lever-arms, comprising couplingplates having openings f01 the ends 0f the shaft, seats in ehe upper edgcs of the arms, :md means f01 securing the platcs t0 ehe arms, substantially ms m1d fmr U purpose deseribed.

In testimony tha1: we claim the above we have hereunto subscribed 0mr names in U10 presence 0f t-wo witnesses.

ISADORE VANDERBECK. v MARTILE E. VANDERBECK.

Witnesses:

W. R. SAMUEL, W. T. DAMERON. 

